


Above Water

by cloaked__schemer, eonflute



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions
Genre: Alpha Sapphire canon, Family-centric, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, References to natural disasters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 09:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7217356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloaked__schemer/pseuds/cloaked__schemer, https://archiveofourown.org/users/eonflute/pseuds/eonflute
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Wallace begins to drown in guilt, Lisia intervenes to help her uncle stay afloat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Above Water

**Author's Note:**

> the first part of this was written by berry (cloaked__schemer) while dazzy (eonflute) finished it off! we hope you enjoy it!!

Looking back on the Hoenn legendary crisis, Wallace couldn't help but feel vulnerable and useless.

Wallace tended to look back on his past fondly, seeing mistakes and other negative experiences as things to learn from rather than something to be ashamed of. There were always exceptions, things that he definitely regretted, but it was too late to change those things once they were done. He just had to accept it and move on.

Unfortunately, the recent crisis hung over his head like one of the dark clouds Kyogre had summoned. When he stepped outside and saw the still-flooded lake, his heart sank and he was reminded that he hadn’t been able to do anything to keep his city safe. He saw the damaged buildings and homes, and he was reminded of the people he couldn't protect. He stepped in puddles still present on higher ground in Sootopolis, and he felt the same cold rush and panic from when he was forced underwater and nearly drowned.

He remembered the voices of people he was supposed to protect begging for answers, a way to escape, a place to hide.  
Wallace regretted not being the one going into the Cave of Origin to put an end to Kyogre's rage. He had sent May — a child who, despite being strong and determined, was still only twelve years old — into the cave in his place. He imagined what could've gone wrong as a result of his poor choice, imagined Sootopolis flooding and flooding, being pulled underwater and killing his people, killing May. Mainland Hoenn drowning along with his home, so many people injured and dead because he hadn't gone into the cave.

Breathe, Wallace. Breathe.

...

Breathing didn't seem like it would work this time.

The guilt weighed heavy on his heart and his mind. It crushed his appetite and his ability to sleep, it left him tired and upset. On top of it all was the knowledge that he was beginning to worry the people around him; he could see it in Steven's concerned glances and nudges, as if he was trying to get him to speak about what was going on. Juan and his sister asked him if he was okay whenever they saw him, and his automatic reply now was, 'Yes, the reconstruction work is just taking a lot out of me, I'll be fine.' They never looked convinced, but they didn't press it.

Wallace took a long, shaky breath and buried his face in his hands. He was being ridiculous, he knew. People wanted to help; they offered constantly, but they had their own worries. Steven was helping May with all her new duties as Champion, including the crisis relief and reconstruction of damaged areas of Hoenn. Juan was also putting his efforts into helping repair Sootopolis. And here he was, letting his guilt fester within his gut, remembering all the terrible things that almost happened when Hoenn almost drowned thanks to some cocky ecoterrorists in pirate hats.

"...Uncle Wall?"

Someone — Lisia, clearly — gently tapped his shoulder to alert him to her presence. Wallace's breath caught and he flinched just slightly, swivelling around where he sat to face his niece. She was clad in her pyjamas and a fluffy, pale blue gown to keep her warm, and Wallace realised that it was likely very late by now. Wallowing in his own self-pity was time-consuming, it seemed. The soft smile he'd plastered to his face to keep her from worrying fell away, replaced by a slightly sterner look.  
"Lissi, it's very late..." Wallace began, leaning forward in his chair. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I just couldn't sleep is all. I was coming down here to, uh..." Lisia trailed off nervously, and her uncle raised a questioning eyebrow. "Fine, I was gonna have a snack, 'cause I thought everyone was already asleep. But I saw the light in here on and I found you and...I dunno, you looked like you were about to cry, Uncle Wall...are you okay?"

Lisia was the one person who was unable to totally hide her worry for him. She was an expressive and bright girl, and it was hard for her not to share her emotions with everyone around her. That was part of what made her such a great performer in contests; her energy, joy, and laughter were all so contagious, it was hard not to smile along with her. But her usual gleeful smile was gone now, and she was biting her lip and had her hands clamped together in front of her nervously. Wallace let out a long sigh, reaching out to take her hands in his and pull her closer. She obliged, still frowning at him.

"I'm okay, dear. The crisis just —"

"—took a lot out of you. I know, you say it to Mama and Grandpa all the time," Lisia spoke forcefully, getting a grip on her uncle's hands and squeezing tightly. "Uncle Steven told me he's super worried about you, and I am too! I don't know what it was like here when Kyogre was awake...I bet it was scary, even for you, but...but..."

Lisia slipped one of her hands out of Wallace's and wiped her eyes, sniffling. Wallace felt his gut twist painfully and his heart clench, guilt pushing its way through him and leaving him feeling cold and empty. Worrying his loved ones was the last thing he ever wanted to do, but his attempts at hiding his trauma had only hurt them, caused them anxiety.

Lisia was crying right in front of him. He'd made his niece cry.

"Lissi..."

"We're all scared for you, Uncle Wall. Something's wrong and you won't tell us no matter how much we ask," She was looking down at her hands now, not at him, and Wallace was sure it was because no matter how much she rubbed her eyes her tears kept falling. "Nobody wants you to get sick or hurt, but the way you're going..." She paused and shook her head as if the thought alone hurt too much. When she spoke again, her voice was even weaker than before. "We wanna help. It's all gross and cliché but we just...don't want you to feel so upset about the crisis, 'cause things'll...things are gonna get better. Sootopolis will look exactly like it did before, and all the people will recover. It's just gonna take...take lots of...lots of..."

Wallace drew his niece in for a tight hug, pulling her into his lap and holding her close. She stopped holding back her tears then, burying her nose into her uncle's shoulder as she sobbed and he started rubbing her back in soft soothing patterns and petted her hair carefully. He finally allowed himself to cry, let his emotions tumble out as heaving shoulders and whimpers and trails of tears that made Wallace thankful he'd remembered to wash off all his makeup earlier in the night.

He didn’t know how long they’d sat there, holding each other and letting all their pent-up emotions and frustration loose, before he swallowed and recomposed himself a bit. For Lisia’s sake.

“Lissi, don’t worry,” he murmured shakily. That was no good; he breathed deeper, patted her fluffed-up teal curls. “We’re going to be just fine, I promise. You’re right, Sootopolis will recover in time, and…” No, he couldn’t make empty promises. There was no guarantee of his actual ability, no way to say for sure that it would be perfect again. But at least, at the very least, he could comfort his niece.

Lisia leaned back to glance up at him, rubbing at the redness in her eyes that had blossomed out over her cheeks and nose. “I know, Uncle Wall, but it’s taking so much out of everybody. Out of you, ‘specially...I wanna be able to help.” She sniffed back a sob. “Like, like...um, Tate and Liza, right? They have some of the best Psychic types in the region, and — uh, and if we ask nicely they could help put the buildings back together, couldn’t they? Mossdeep wasn’t as susceptible to the flooding because the elevation flushed out a lot of the water, so I’m sure they’d have time after rebuilding over there! It’s less work for you, too, if they’d help us.”

By now, her eyes were starting to shine again, swollen though they were, and she managed to crack a little smile. “Miss Flannery, too, right? She could help us clear out the puddles from the flooding — I mean, Lavaridge recovered pretty well with her help, didn’t they? And who knows, Ali’s been pretty restless lately, so if I could help...maybe if all our Pokemon chip in, Sootopolis will be back up on its feet in no time!”

Wallace smiled fondly at her; the enthusiasm, the optimism, it was all so strikingly Lisia, ideas that only she could come up with in a time as desperate as this.

“Now, Lissi, of course we can’t rely so much on everybody else,” he sighed, gently patting her head. “But maybe we have something there. I guess I was being a bit ambitious trying to shoulder everything for the city. Working together with everyone...it’s a start, for sure.”

In spite of the gloominess, Lisia puffed out her cheeks indignantly. “It’s a finish, that’s what! We’re gonna rebuild properly, and by the end Sootopolis is gonna be prettier and shinier than ever!” She leaned forward quickly to grab Wallace in another bear hug far too tight for such a tiny girl. “Thanks, Uncle Wall. For talking. We were all really worried for you, but if it works…” A full grin split her face ear-to-ear, with all the radiance only Hoenn’s number one Contest idol could muster.

“You too, Lissi. Now, how about you go back to bed?”

“Yeah, right. I haven’t had my snack yet!” Lisia protested, starting off for the kitchen.

“Wait, Lissi, you shouldn’t eat so late, it’ll —” Wallace paused mid-sentence. It was a lost cause, he decided, turning back to his desk.

Everybody chipping in, huh. Wallace didn’t want to burden his already-damaged citizens, but if they reached out beyond Sootopolis, it just might work.

He rested his head on the table and let out a long sigh. Lisia was a bit idealistic, young as she was, but she was nothing if not the most hope-inspiring person in all of Hoenn. It would work, if everyone was willing.

Wallace slipped off into thought, dreaming through the rest of the night. It was the most relaxed he’d felt in a long, long time.


End file.
